My Facebook Page Got a Bad Review…Now What?

Just this past weekend, my sisters and I were on our way to one of our favorite wineries when we decided to pull up the winery’s Facebook account and read some of their reviews. I’ve been coming to this winery since it’s opening and have had some amazing times and consumed noteworthy wines. So, naturally, I think it’s going to be full of 5 stars and positive affirmations about the beautiful location, kind and knowledgeable staff and delicious wine. But, to my surprise, the winery did not have 5 stars. What in the world??

As I dive into the comments and reviews, I am shocked at what some people will nix a place for. Comments such as, “I only prefer this kind of wine and they didn’t have it…2 stars” or “I couldn’t hear the woman talking during the tasting…1 star.”

Here comes the age-old saying….you can’t please everybody. But, when your online presence and reputation is now at stake because a few people don’t drink dry wine, what are you supposed to do? Unfortunately, having a bad review can really affect business. But even more unfortunate, it can be extremely difficult to get bad, and sometimes untrue, reviews and comments from your Facebook, Yelp or Google pages.

So here’s the scoop: Google reviews can only be removed if they are deemed as “inappropriate.” Google won’t removed any review that has to do with a customer’s experience (even if it’s untrue) because there’s no way of proving who is right or wrong. Facebook has the same process in place, needing to report a review before it gets removed, and that’s only if the review is inappropriate or posted by a fake account.

If you get a Facebook or Google review that you wish you could remove but can’t…here’s a piece of advice- RESPOND! Leaving a negative review untouched does not look good on the company or management. Something as simple as apologizing for their negative experience and offering an incentive to try your services again can go a long way. Not only does responding impact the person who wrote the negative review, it can also change the mindset of the people reading the reviews. Seeing that the company reacts to what their customers say, especially when they’ve had a negative experience, can quickly change the reputation of the company.

So remember – a constant and attentive response to reviews and comments is even more important than posting a picture of your business on your social media page. Facebook and Google play the game together, so reviews will show up when you search for any company FAR before you are even able to get to the website or social media channel. So here’s to happy customers, positive reviews and lots of winery trips!